Cookies Recipes

Cookiesssssssssssssssssssssss. How can you not like the tiny morsel of delicious goodness? Cookies are the easiest things to bake. This page contains recipes for:

- Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Nut

- Florentines

- Amaretti

- Chocolate Chocolate Chip

- Shortbread Cookies

Other cookie inspirations: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/holiday-shortbread_n_1055642.html

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies

This recipe was inspired from McCall's Cookie Collection book, 1972 edition. T here are 4 featured items in this recipe- oatmeal because it's always good for you, raisin because it's a fruit, chocolate chip for flavor and nut for nuttiness. This is my second fav cookie, trailing closely behind the chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredients (Yields 6 dozen) :

1.5 cup shifted all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup shortening, 0.75 cup sugar, 0.75 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed), 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups raw quick-cooking oats and 0.3 cup chopped nuts (pecan, walnut or almond or any both or all would work), 0.3 cup dried raisins and 0.3 cup chocolate chips

Procedures

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease cookie sheets

2. Mix together flour, salt and baking soda

3. In a large bowl, beat shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla until fluffy

4. Stir in dry ingredients and oats until well combined. Stir in nuts, raisins and chocolate chips to make a stiff batter

5. Drop by teaspoonfuls, leaving an inch apart, onto cookie sheets

6. Bake 10 to 12 mins or until golden brown Remove from the oven and let the cookies stand for 1 min

7. Gently remove the cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely

8. Store in an air tight container

Tips:

Shortening can be substituted with butter.

Florentines

I remembered the pleasant surprise I had when I bit into my first florentine cookie. I found the recipe from The Gourmet Cookie Book and modified the recipe to incorporate freshly zested orange peel. The original recipe called for candied orange peel, which the store nor I had available.

Ingredients (Yields 2 dozen):

0.5 cup heavy cream, 0.5 cup sugar, 3 tbs butter, 1.25 cup finely chopped almonds and walnuts, zest of 3 oranges, 1/3 cup and 2 tbs flour

Procedures:

1. In a saucepan, mix together heavy cream, sugar and butter over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat

2. Add nuts, orange zest and flour. Mix well

3. Preheat oven to 350F

4. Grease and flour baking sheets

5. Drop the batter from a tablespoon into mounds about 3 inches apart. Flatten mounds with a wet spatula

6. Bake cookies for 10 mins or until the edges are slightly crisp

7. Remove from oven and let the cookies stand for 5 mins. Remove the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely

8. Serve like it is or with chocolate glaze

Tips:

1. To make chocolate glaze, melt 1 oz unsweetened chocolate and 1 oz sweet cooking chocolate over simmering water. Add 2 tbs butter and 1 tsp honey and stir mixture until butter is melted.

2. Substitute zest with 0.75 cup of finely chopped candied orange peel but reduce flour to 1/3 cup.

Amaretti Cookies

My aunt gave me a bag of almond meal. I've never used it before so I figured maybe it would taste good in the form of cookies. I did a quick search and modified this recipe since the bag only contains 2 cups of almond meal. Almond meal is really almond flour, which is finely grounded almonds.

Ingredients (Yields 30 cookies) :

2 cups almond meal, 0.5 cup all purpose flour, 1.25 cup confectioner's sugar, 3 egg whites, 0.5 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp almond extract.

2 baking sheets, lined with parchment papers

Procedures:

1. Preheat oven to 300F

2. In a large bowl, mix almond meal, flour and sugar

3. Break and separate egg whites from yolks. Save yolks for later use. Beat egg whites

4. Add vanilla and almond extract in flour mixture. Incorporate together with handheld mixer. Slowly add 1 egg at a time while mixing until the dough is smooth

5. Using a teaspoon, scoop and place teaspoons of dough on the parchment paper

6. Bake for 22 to 30 mins to desired texture (shorter time if you want a chewier bite or longer time if you want a crunchy cookie) and slightly golden in color

7. Cool for 5 mins and transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely before serving

Tips: Dip cookies with chocolate syrup or serve as a sandwich with ice cream or fruity filling

Shortbread Cookies

My love for shortbread cookies began when I consumed Girl Scout cookies. I adapted the recipe below from an old cookie recipe book. I like my shortbread cookies sweet and buttery. Enjoy!

Ingredients (Yields 30 cookies):

1 cup sifted all purpose flour, 0.5 cup softened salted butter and 0.5 cup brown sugar

1 baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Procedures:

1. Mix butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy

2. Add flour and blend until a dough ball is form (if the dough is still sticky, add a little flour at a time)

3. Form the dough into a disk and cool it for 30 mins in the refrigerator

4. Preheat oven to 350 degF

5. Form tiny balls from the dough and line them on the baking sheet

6. Bake for 15 mins or until the cookies are slightly browned and the insides are cooked

7. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 mins

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend taught me how to enjoy these cookies even more- by spreading peanut butter on them and gobbling down with a glass of milk! Yummy. The modified recipe was taken from allrecipes.com

Ingredients (Yields 2 dozen):

0.5 cup butter, 0.75 cup white sugar, 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 3/8 tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 0.25 cup nuts

Procedures:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degF

2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients and stir into wet mixture until well incorporated. Mix in nuts, chocolate chips and vanilla extract

3. Drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough onto ungreased baking sheets

4. Bake for 8 to 10 mins or until the cookies are set. Cool slightly. Remove them from the baking sheet onto a wired rack and cool completely

5. Serve by itself or with peanut butter spread

Amaretti cookies fresh out from the oven (top) and Amaretti cookie with a dollop of frozen banana ice cream (bottom)